Where is this plan headed?

We can’t predict every detail, but the best crystal ball is the 2018 draft the Forest Service withdrew.

That version proposed large blocks of Recommended Wilderness, Back‑Country Non‑Motorized, and Wild & Scenic River corridors—all of which ban motorized use. Those maps aren’t in the current “preliminary” draft, but at last night’s Enterprise meeting the Forest Supervisor shifted from “no proposed wilderness” to “none in this draft, but it could appear in the DEIS alternatives.” Translation: expect those restrictive zones to resurface.

Our document comparison shows today’s draft is 80–90 % identical to the 2018 attempt, so it’s reasonable to expect the alternatives to look 80–90 % the same as well.

Remember: nothing in this draft guarantees the Wallowa‑Whitman and Malheur stay open, or that the Umatilla re‑opens. That only happens if we flood the record with comments demanding a plan that supports our communities, in line with the 2019 withdrawal order and the Administration’s access guidance. Otherwise the agency is simply re‑packaging the 2018 plan and hoping we won’t notice.

The comment period will open soon so speak up then, before a “closed unless designated” forest is locked in.